Jerusalem,1 was at one time a persecutor of the Christians, and, when a believer, acquainted with the brother of Jesus,2 and a companion of those who had been his disciples,3 could not fail to have known whether Jesus had an actual existence. How otherwise can we account for his conversion from Judaism to what must have been a very unpopular faith, the profession and zealous advocacy of which subjected him to great persecution?

There is a naturalness about many portions of the life of Jesus as related by the evangelists, especially the first three, that proves the genuineness of the man whose words and deeds they narrate. The treachery of Judas, the denial of Peter, and the personal jealousies of the disciples, would hardly have been inserted had these been fictitious narratives. What but the facts could have induced the writer in Matthew to tell us that the last utterance of his dying Messiah was the despairing cry, "My God, my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" that, when the disciples saw Jesus after his resurrection, some of them doubted? or Luke to inform us, that when the women told the disciples after the resurrection what they had seen and heard, "their words seem to them as idle tales"? The agony in the

garden never would have been told if it had not occurred; for it betrays weakness on the part of Jesus that no fiction-writer would attribute to his hero. The prophecy of the speedy coming of the

1 Acts xxii. 3 states that Paul was brought up in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel.

2 Gal. i. 19.

8 Gal. i. 18.

Son of man in the clouds of heaven would never have been written if it had not been said; for the Gospel of Matthew was composed after the time for its fulfilment.

The life of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels is not such a one as persons writing fiction would be likely to draw. Most of the so-called Messianic prophecies led the Jews to expect a temporal prince, sitting on the throne of David, and establishing it forever. He was to subdue the Gentiles; their kings and queens were to bow in humility before him. The Messiah shining like a sun from the throne of his glory in Zion, all peoples were to hasten with their offerings, and bless themselves in his beams. A suffering, dying Messiah, a few persons believed in, but very few Jews have ever been willing to accept. The tree of Christianity never flourished in Jewish soil: only when trimmed and transplanted did it attain its world-wide dimensions.

But, although we may be satisfied that Jesus of Nazareth really existed, it does not follow that we are to accept as fact all that the Gospels say of him; indeed, it is impossible that we should. A critical examination of these Gospels, almost our only literary sources for a life of Jesus, soon modifies the ideas generally entertained with regard to them. We learn that they were not only not infallibly inspired, but not even independently composed; and we can discover some of the motives that governed the writers in choosing the materials that lay before them when they were compiled.

CHAPTER I.

HOW THE GOSPELS WERE COMPOSED.

WHEN the events and discourses related in the first Gospel, and contained in any other Gospel, are numbered in the order of their occurrence, and compared with their order in the other Gospels, some interesting and important facts are revealed to us.

ORDER OF PASSAGES CONTAINING EVENTS AND DISCOURSES AS RELATED BY MATTHEW.

1. Genealogy of Jesus, Matt. i. 1-17.

2. Miraculous conception of Jesus, i. 18.

3. Birth of Jesus, i. 25.

4. Residence in Nazareth, ii. 23.

5. Advent of John Baptist, iii. 1.

6. Prophecy of Esaias concerning John, iii. 3.

7. Raiment of John, iii. 4.

8. Those who went out to John, iii. 5.

9. People baptized by John, iii. 6.

10. What John said to some who came to be baptized, iii. 7–10.

11. One mightier than John, iii. 11.

12. Baptism of Jesus by John, iii. 13-17.

13. Spirit of God descends on Jesus as a dove, and voice is heard, iii. 16, 17.

14. Jesus in the wilderness tempted of the Devil, iv. 1.
15. Tempter wishes him to make the stones bread, iv. 2-4.
16. Devil sets him on a pinnacle of the temple, iv. 5–7.

17. Takes him on to a high mountain, iv. 8–10.

18. The Devil leaves him, iv. 11.

19. Angels minister to him, iv. 11.

11

20. John cast into prison, iv. 12.

21. Jesus returns to Galilee, iv. 12.

22. Leaves Nazareth, and goes to Capernaum, iv. 13. 23. Jesus begins to preach, iv. 17.

24. Calls Simon, Andrew, James, and John, iv. 18-21. 25. Jesus preaching in the synagogues of Galilee, iv. 23. 26. Where the people went from that followed him, iv. 25. 27. Sermon on the Mount, v.-vii. chapters.

28. The beatitudes, v. 3-12.

29. Salt lost its saltness, v. 13.

30. Candle not to be put under a bushel, v. 15.
31. No jot or tittle to pass from the law, v. 17, 18.
32. Agree with thine adversary quickly, v. 25, 26.
33. Pluck out the offending eye,1 v. 29, 30.

34. On divorce, v. 31, 32.

35. Non-resistance, and love to enemies, v. 38–48. 33. The Lord's Prayer, vi. 9-13.

37. Prayer and forgiveness, vi. 14, 15.

38. Treasure in heaven, vi. 19–21.

39. Eye, the light of the body, vi. 22, 23.

49. No man can serve two masters, vi. 24.

41. No thought to be given about the future, vi. 25–34.

42. Judge not, vii. 1.

43. With the measure meted it shall be measured, vii. 2.

44. Mote in the brother's eye, vii. 3-5.

45. Ask, and it shall be given you, vii. 7-11.

46. The Golden Rule, vii. 12.

47. The strait gate, vii. 13, 14.

48. Trees known by their fruits, vii. 16-20.

49. Those who cry "Lord, Lord!" vii. 21, 22.

50. Sentence on the workers of iniquity, vii. 23.

51. The rocky foundation and the sandy foundation, vii.

24-29.

52. Cure of a leper, viii. 2–4,

53. Centurion's servant healed, viii. 5-13.

54. Many sit with Abraham, &c., children of the kingdom cast out, viii. 11, 12.

1 This is repeated, with a slight change, xviii. 8, 9.

55. Cure of Peter's wife's mother, viii. 14, 15.

53. Devils cast out of possessed, and sick healed, viii. 16.

57. Commandment to go to the other side of the lake, viii. 18.

58. Scribe says he will follow Jesus, viii. 19, 20.

59. Disciple asks leave to bury his father, viii. 21, 22.

60. Jesus stills the tempest, viii. 24–26.

61. Heals two1 demoniacs, and destroys swine, viii. 28–32. 62. Returns to western side of the Sea of Galilee, ix. 1.

63. Cure of man sick of the palsy, ix. 2–7.

64. Call of Matthew, ix. 9.

65. Feast in Matthew's house, ix. 10.

63. Scribes and Pharisees complain, and Jesus answers, ix. 11. 67. Why disciples of Jesus fast not, ix. 14, 15.

68. New cloth and new wine, ix. 16, 17.

69. Raising of Jairus's daughter, ix. 18-25.

70. Woman cured by touching garment of Jesus, ix. 20–22. 71. Cure of a dumb man, ix. £2, 33.

72. Casts out devils through the prince of devils, ix. 34.

73. Jesus went about teaching, ix. 35.

74. Jesus compassionates multitude, ix. 36.

75. Harvests plenteous, laborers few, ix. 37, 38.

76. Call of the twelve, x. 1.

77. Power given to disciples to cast out unclean spirits, and cure diseases, x. 1.

78. Names of the twelve apostles, x. 2-4.

79. Twelve apostles sent to preach and heal, x. 5–8.

80. Instructions given to disciples, x. 9–15.

81. Disciples lambs among wolves, x. 16.

82. Disciples delivered up to councils, and brought before governors, x. 17, 18.

83. No thought to be taken about what is to be spoken, x. 19, 20.

84. Persecutions foretold, x. 21, 22.

85. Whom to fear, x. 23-31.

83. Confessing and denying Jesus, x. 32, 33.

87. Jesus did not come to bring peace, x. 34–36.

88. Taking the cross, x. 38.

1 In Mark and Luke but one.